


Dream Kitchens

by itsnotaboutlove



Series: The Chef and The Historian [21]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Chris gets his dream kitchen, Construction, F/M, Hijinks & Shenanigans, M/M, Stress, house work, remodeling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-26 18:19:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3859900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsnotaboutlove/pseuds/itsnotaboutlove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris finally gets the kitchen of his dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And we're back! 
> 
> This will be a relatively short piece.. maybe 4-6 chapters. Haven't decided yet. Picks up right at the end of Lake houses, Wilderness and Fun.

It all started when the door to the cabinet broke off.  _Again._ After a lengthy argument with Melanie, over the dangers of having problematic cabinet doors, Chris finally got the clearance to remodel the entire kitchen. 

"You can't take it back!" Chris warned, as Melanie realized what she had done. "We can finally get rid of the cabinets and get the pantry closet you wanted!" 

When he broke the news to Charlotte, she quickly demanded to be part of the trip to Ikea, to help pick out a new kitchen for the house. 

"Daddy, it's  _Ikea,"_ Charlotte sighed, when Chris tried to bribe her into spending the afternoon with Uncle Bones and Uncle Jim. "I see Uncle Bones and Uncle Jim everyday! I don't get to see Ikea everyday!" 

So, dropping Olivia, Sophia and CJ off to spend the day with Leonard and Jim, Melanie and Chris took Charlotte up to Ikea. Walking through the displays of kitchens, Charlotte and Melanie pointed out key aspects of what they liked about each one. 

"I really do like these glass paned cabinets, Chris," Melanie said, as they stood in an all white kitchen. "Maybe we could get these for the plates and cups?" 

"We need lots of spaces for your cooking toys, Daddy," Charlotte said, as she opened the prop cabinets up to look inside. "They need a home too." 

"I don't like the open shelves on the end here," Melanie shook her head. "How about these pull out cabinets, Chris? They're deep enough that we could fit a lot of plastic bowls and what not into them." 

"Can we put the oven in the wall?" Charlotte asked, starting up at the model oven before her in awe. "How can you cook our eggs, if it's in the wall?" 

They argued over the pros and cons of having white cabinets versus stainless steel, which Charlotte settled the fight with picking dark brown. They settled on glass paneled cabinet doors for above the counters, and solid wood paneling for the few cabinets and drawers. There would be no ovens in the wall, much to Charlotte's sadness. 

"Get the shiny handles," Charlotte said, as they filled out the order form of what they wanted. "Are we getting a closet now?" 

Once the order was brought downstairs after Charlotte and Melanie scoped through the marketplace, picking a few things here and there, before they could pay. When the cashier asked if they wanted home installation, Chris shook his head much to Melanie's dismay. 

"Do you even know how to take the counters apart?" she asked, when they were in the car. "We should have someone professionally trained to work around the pipes and electrical cords, Chris." 

"Mel, I can do it," Chris said, as they waited at the light. "We just have to put everything away, clear out the cabinets and it'll be fine. I'll leave the fridge running and the stove hooked up, until I have to build around that. We have that big freezer in the garage and I can cook on the grill." 

Charlotte giggled as Melanie groaned, "Are we getting more new things for the kitchen?" she asked. "Like new walls and a floor?" 

"Well, we should probably do everything all at once," Chris shrugged, as Melanie groaned again. "Mel, you were the one that said yes. If I'm doing this, I want to get it all done at once. We can get the floor put down in like.. a day or two. Then we can repaint the walls and take those stupid tiles down next to the stove." 

"Daddy! I want to paint the walls!" Charlotte said. "We has to do that stuff now, before I go back to school!" 

Melanie shook her head, "What have I done," she muttered, as Chris shifted between lanes. 

He snorted, "Relax," he said, placing his hand on her thigh. "It shouldn't take more than a moth.. maybe a month and a half. I'll see if the boys want to help out and I wouldn't have to call a plumber or an electrician. We've got Scotty!" 

"I want this all done by September fourth," Melanie finally said. "If this project takes any longer, it'll be the last one you do. I mean it, Chris. I do not want a kitchen that is not functional, especially with four children running around, three who will be wired from being up all day and in school." 

"Deal," he nodded. "September fourth. Hear that Charlie? We've got until September fourth to get the entire kitchen done." 

She nodded, "We can start tomorrow!" she said, as they moved further out of the city and into the suburbs. "You can take me to the home store and we can buy a floor!" 

As Chris and Charlotte discussed what type of floor to buy- hardwood to "a pink fluffy carpet," Melanie began to regret agreeing to this project. 

................

They settled on having vinyl tiles for the floor, since it would be easier to clean and they wouldn't have to worry about the water damage. Their hardwood floors showed the wear and tear of three children who liked to spill their drinks and drag the chairs around. Charlotte picked a rustic design that reminded her of some building she read about in her art history textbook, insisting that Melanie would like it.

"It's pretty," she said, as they stood in the aisle with the salesman. "Trust me, Daddy. I know how to pick things out." 

The only way Melanie would allow for the  _entire_ kitchen to be remodeled, from floor to wall, the floors would have to be installed by a professional. 

" _I rather they come in with the right tools to rip the hardwood up,"_ she said, when he tried to protest. " _We're already spending a lot of money, Chris. You do not need to go out and spend more on tools that you'll only use once. Let Home Depot send a crew out to do it all in a day or two."_

"How about.. Friday?" the man said, as he looked at the delivery schedule on the computer. "We could start around eight-thirty and we should be done by five-thirty...six the latest." 

Chris nodded, "Friday is good," he said, as the many put the information into the computer. "My wife gave me a deadline to get this all done, so the sooner we start the better." 

In the chair next t him, Charlotte nodded. "Mommy says that if Daddy doesn't get the kitchen fixed before I go to school, he's not allowed to build anything anymore," she said, earning a laugh from the man. 

"Sounds like my wife," he sighed. "Alright, your new floor will be installed this upcoming Friday at eight-thirty." 

With the information in hand, Chris and Charlotte headed out to the car. "Oh no! We forgot to look at the paints!" Charlotte cried, as they pulled out of the parking lot. 

"We'll come back after the floor is done," he promised. "We have to take all the cabinets down and paint all the walls, before we put the new kitchen in." 

"But won't the new floor get all dirty?" Charlotte asked. 

He shook his head, "I'll get something to cover the floor, that way the paint won't ruin it," he promised. "Since you picked out the floor, Mommy gets to pick out the paint." 

Charlotte groaned, "Charlie," he warned. "It's only fair, kiddo. Unlike you, Mommy has to look at the kitchen forever. Until you get your own place to live in, Mommy gets to pick the colors of all the rooms in the house. Except your room of course." 

"But I don't want to build my own house," she pouted. "Julie and I are going to live with you and Mommy forever." 

"I think," Chris said, as he came to a stop at the red light. "That's wonderful, Charlie." 

She beamed, pleased with the answer, though her happiness was short-lived. 

"But Mommy still gets to pick the color," Chris said, looking up at her through the rear-view mirror. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Removing nearly eight years of junk from the kitchen was the worst part of the remodel, as the table and chairs went into the basement. After the new flooring went down, taking two days instead of one, it was time to paint. Tarps went down on the new floor, as Chris, Leonard and Jim got out the pain supplies for the job. 

"Mommy, I want to paint!" Olivia pouted, as Melanie set the safety gate up. "Charrweee get's to paint!" 

"That's because Charlie knows how to," Melanie said, as Sophia watched her older sister in the kitchen. "You two get to go out with Mommy today, remember? We're going to get some stuff for the vegetable garden." 

Olivia shook her head, "I wants to paint!" she stomped her foot. "Paint!" 

Melanie sighed, "Chris!" 

"What?" he called out, as he and Leonard placed the painter's tape around the edging of the sliding door. 

"Can you come here please?" Melanie sighed, as Olivia pouted up at her. 

A few seconds later, Chris was standing on the other side of the gate. "What's wrong?" he asked, as his wife looked at him. 

"Olivia wants to paint and doesn't think it's fair that Charlie gets to paint," she said, as Chris chuckled. "I'm leaving it up to you to make the final decision on the matter, because if I had my way, she would be buckled into the car right now." 

"Yeah, and she would be screaming her head off the entire time," he said, ruffling Olivia's hair. "Right?" 

She nodded, "Daddy, I wants to paint with Charwee," she said. "Pwease? I's be good!" 

Chris nodded, "Alright," he said, earning a cheer from her. "But, we need to put on an old shirt. You don't want to get paint on your piggy shirt now, do you?" 

"NO! No paint on my "Iggy!" Olivia shook her head, as Chris stepped over the gate.   
  
"Sophie, do you want to paint or do you want to go with Mommy to the plant store?" Chris asked, as he scooped Olivia up into his arms. 

Sophia shook her head, "I go with Mommy," she said, swaying from side to side. "Mommy buys pwants for me." 

"Charlie, take out another paint brush," Chris yelled out, as Charlotte got her station set up. "I want you to show Olivia how to paint, since Mommy wants this done today." 

He then turned back to Melanie, "She'll be fine," he promised, despite the look of uncertainty on her face. "We'll take a break around noon, grill some burgers and hot dogs on the grill." 

"WEENIES!" Olivia screeched.

Chris nodded, "Lots of hot dogs," he promised, as she giggled. "Let's get you upstairs and changed, so that we can start working." 

While Chris took Olivia up to change, Melanie went back to finish getting ready for the day. The stroller sat against the hall closet, along with the diaper bag, ready to be stored into the car. Sophia and CJ were waiting in the living room, while Melanie packed an emergency snack and juice for the kids. 

"Hopefully we'll be home before you two get hungry," she shook her head, as the container of goldfish, two juice boxes and a small bottle of juice went into the diaper bag. "Are we ready to go?" 

"Mama!" CJ squeaked, pointing at her. "Mama!" 

Picking him up, Melanie pressed a gentle kiss against the side of his head and fixed his shirt. "I think that's Daddy and Liv," Melanie whispered, as footsteps could be heard on the staircase. "Uh oh! It is!" 

CJ squealed as Chris came down, "Dadadadadada!" he babbled, as Chris came over to them. 

"All ready to go?" he asked, tweaking the boy on the nose. "You're going to have fun, CJ. Make sure Mommy gets some more tomato plants, okay? And some pretty flowers for the bucket outside." 

"I'm not buying too many vegetable plants," Melanie warned. "Summer is almost over and if we drop below sixty in September, everything will die." 

He nodded, "Just get a few," he said, kissing her. "Everything's growing like crazy outside already. Maybe we'll get lucky and the new plants will grow just as fast." 

Picking up the diaper bag, Melanie shouldered it, while Chris took the stroller from the door. "How are you going to push a stroller and a shopping cart?" he asked, as they stepped outside onto the porch. 

"It has to go back into the car anyway," Melanie said, as they headed down to the car. "And maybe later, after you guys finish painting, we can take a drive down to the lake? Take a walk around it or something?" 

He shrugged, "We'll see," he said, placing the stroller into the back. "Alright kids. You better be on your best behavior," he said, as Sophia giggled. "That means you, Sophie. If I find out that you were being bad, no ice cream after dinner."

"I always good, Daddy," Sophia gasped, placing her hands against her chest. "Always." 

"Sure, "he snorted, helping her into the car and into her booster seat. "Says the girl who knocked down  _all_ the noodles in the grocery store, along with two jars of sauce." 

Sophia giggled as she was strapped into the seat, wiggling as Chris tickled her. "You break sauce," she said, squealing as Chris gave her a noisy kiss on the cheek. "I gets flower for you, Daddy." 

He nodded, "A big flower," he said, as Melanie got CJ into his own carseat. "I'll see you later, Sophie. Be a good girl." 

Once the kids were strapped into their seats, Melanie started the car, cranking up the AC for them. "Remember," she started, as Chris stood before her. "Don't make a mess. Make sure Olivia doesn't get paint in her eyes or mouth. And for the love of god, make sure the two of them don't start a fight club in the middle of the kitchen." 

"Charlie and Olivia will be fine," he promised. "I'll have Olivia with me, since Charlie's well behaved when it comes to painting. Best case scenario? Olivia will probably conk out after lunch." 

"If you say so, "Melanie sighed. "Let me go, before they start freaking out. I'll call you before I leave the store." 

Chris nodded and leaned in for another kiss. "I'll try to save the hot dogs for Sophie," he said quietly, as Melanie climbed in behind the wheel, closing the door for her. "If not, I'll run out later to get more if she wants them for dinner." 

"Sounds good," Melanie nodded, as she put the car in reverse.

"BYE DADDY!!" Sophia screeched from the back seat, as Melanie backed out of the driveway. "BYE!!!" 

Chris waved as Melanie drove away, before heading back inside the house. "Are you guys ready in there?" he yelled, shutting the front door behind him. 

"PAINT! PAINT! PAINT!" Olivia cheered, as Chris made his way towards the kitchen. "O'IVVEEEAHH GETS TO PAINT!" 

......................

After lunch, as the food settled and the patio table was cleaned off, Olivia was back at it. It took her two hours to paint on side of the wall, while Chris painted the other half from ceiling to floor. Kneeling on the floor with a little brush in hand, Olivia slowly ran it up and down, her tongue poking out between her lips. On the other side of the room, Leonard and Jim worked around the windows and the door, while Charlotte did the bottom portion of another wall near the laundry room. 

"How ya doing there, Liv?" Chris asked, dipping the roller into the paint tray. 

She squealed, pointing to the wall that she was painting on. "I do good?" she asked, looking up at him with an expectant look on her face. 

He nodded, "You're doing a good job,' he said, as she beamed. "I think we're almost done. We just have to paint the remaining half of Charlie's wall, and the rest of this one." 

"When's Mommy coming home?" Charlotte asked, as she paused in her painting. "She's been gone for a lot of hours." 

Chris shrugged, "Maybe Mommy and Sophie stopped at another store," he said, checking his cell. "She hasn't called or anything." 

"I'm sure she's fine," Leonard said, as he grabbed a smaller brush from a bucket. "Knowing her, she's probably bought out a new outdoor set. Or all the flowers that she'll never plant." 

Jim snickered, "God, don't even tease," Chris begged. "Last time, she bought four rose bushes and proceeded to freak out when she realized she didn't know how to plant them. She had Mom on the phone for three and a half hours that day, writing a book on how to plant and care for them." 

"At least they're still blooming!" Jim said, nodding to the plant outside. "The one we just got with Jo isn't doing a damn thing!" 

"We bought it two weeks ago," Leonard frowned. "And we still have to put it in the ground, Jim." 

Olivia dipped the brush into the tray and slapped it against the wall, giggling as she moved it from side to side. "Easy," Chris warned, bending down to help her. "Too much pain on the wall and it won't dry as quickly as we want it to." 

"Ohtay," she nodded, firmly "Lot of paint, no dry fast." 

"Daddy, Mommy says that we're going to watch a new show together," Charlotte started, changing the conversation. "It's one about doctors and it takes place in our neighborhood!" 

Jim snickered, "Oh yeah?" he asked, looking over at the girl. "Did Mommy say any names of the doctors?" 

Charlotte nodded, "There's a boy doctor named McDreamy," she said, frowning. "Daddy, what kind of name is McDreamy?" 

"Oh god," Leonard groaned, as did Chris. "Isn't that the show where Melanie cried for the last five episodes and then cried for the entire last season?" 

"Yes," Chris nodded. "I think that was the first time my wife had any sort of depression. She was lucky to avoid post-partum, but for a fictional character? My god, I think she cried on and off for a year and a half." 

Setting the brush into the paint tray, Charlotte walked across the room to the bucket of clean brushes. "Uncle Hikaru says it's okay," she continued talking. "But it's not a real rep...rep.." 

"Representation," Leonard said, as Charlotte nodded. 

"Right! That!" she exclaimed "He says that doctors don't really act like the do on the show in real life. Sometimes they have fun, but it's a serious big people job." 

"Can Joooweee come play?" Olivia asked, as she took a break in her painting. "She paint with us! 

Chris shook his head, "Julie's getting her braces today," he said. "Maybe if she's up to it, she can come over tomorrow and you guys can play outside." 

The girls pouted, "Julie's sad about getting her teeth fixed," Charlotte said. "Aunt Julie told Mommy. I'm gonna give her flowers to make her happy, because she's still beautiful." 

"I think that's a great idea," Chris nodded, as the front door opened. "Uh oh, Mommy's home. Let's go see how much money she burned today." 

...................

When the painting was done and the boys washed up, along with Charlotte and Olivia, dinner was held outside. Running home to pick Joanna and the twins up, Jim returned to help with the grill.

"Do you like the color?" Chris asked, as Melanie looked at the walls. 

She nodded, "This rustic theme you've got going on..." she started, eyeing the marigold yellow walls of their kitchen. "Our kitchen is going to look like something out of an Italian villa." 

Outside, the girls shrieked as they ran about, playing with the new set of bubbles Melanie bought earlier that day. "So, how did you get talked into buy almost an entire nursery by a six year old and a one year old?" 

"It wasn't an entire nursery, "Melanie scoffed, as he looked at her. "It just..looks like a lot because the pallets are massive." 

"Sure," he nodded, chuckling at the aggravated look she gave him. "I just hope you've employed Sophie into helping you with the planting. She  _did_ insist that it was for  _her_ garden." 

Melanie went to the fridge to take out a bag of lettuce and cucumbers for a salad. "She's also got to pick the vegetables that are ready," she noted. "Before they get mauled to death by the wild animals or start to rot. I'm running out of cucumbers here." 

The grill sizzled outside as the steaks cooked, while the television in the living room played a demented cartoon for Leah, Noah and CJ. The screen door opened and Sophia and Olivia spilled into the house, followed by Jim. 

"Okay," he said, as the girls giggled. "Let's get that barbecue sauce for Uncle Bones, that way he doesn't whine anymore." 

"I want spicy," Sophia demanded, as they went to the cabinet. "Spicyyyy!" 

Olivia shook her head, "No! I don't wike that!" she cried, as Jim took down the bottle of spicy sauce. "I want honeyyyyy!" 

"We can do one spicy and the other with honey," Jim promised, taking the other bottle off the shelf. "Don't you worry, Liv. Not all of us like our food spicy." 

"I wish I could say that about some people," Melanie said, giving Chris a pointed looked. "Go easy tonight, okay? Last time you had heartburn, I thought you were having a heart attack."   
Rushing over to Chris, Olivia wrapped her arms around his leg. 

"Daddy, no heart 'tacks," she said, shaking her head. "You eats honey with me." 

Chris nodded, "Okay, I'll eat honey with you," he said, ruffling her hair. "Go on outside. I'll be out in a minute to help." 

While Olivia and Jim went back outside, Sophia went to the sink and began to whine. "What could you possible complain about now?" Melanie asked, as she washed her hands. "You were good all day and now you're going to be a pain in the butt?" 

"I needs to water my flowers!" 

"You don't have to do it this second!" Melanie exclaimed, as Sophia continued to whine and stomp her feet. "Sophia, for the love of god!" 

Moving quickly, Chris took the half gallon jug out and brought it to the sink. "Let's water the flowers in the pots," he said, as Sophia pouted. "After dinner, we'll look at the others and see if they need water." 

Carrying bowls and water, Melanie, Chris and Sophia stepped outside onto the deck. "Food should be in five minutes or so," Leonard said, as Melanie set the salad bowl on the table. "I'll be in to get the little ones." 

"Easy, easy," Chris said, as Sophia tried to dump all the water into one pot. "Don't drown them, Soph!" 

"God," Melanie groaned. "I'll be happy when they're all in bed and I can have a glass of wine in hand." 

Jim snickered, "I wouldn't drink too much tonight if I were you," he warned. "You have a fun day in the sun tomorrow!" 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

On the day the contractor arrived to scope out the kitchen for a pantry, it was also the same day that Ikea delivered all the parts to their new kitchen. Boxes upon boxes of all shapes and sizes, were brought into the kitchen and left into a pile. 

"Oh god," Melanie shook her head, as she eyed the boxes. "Are you  _sure_ you want to do this? We could schedule an appointment to have the Ikea crew to put it together."

"Mel, I can handle it," Chris said, as he signed the form. "Thank you." 

As the men left, Chris picked up his cellphone and sent a quick text to the boys, letting them know that the parts arrived. "Scotty and your brother have the tools," he said, as she walked around the boxes. "With all the extra help, this will be a piece of cake." 

She looked over at him, "Right," she nodded slowly, before looking at the boxes again. "A piece of cake." 

"Okay, what is your problem now?" Chris asked, leaning against the counter. "I mean, you said yes to the remodel. Now that we've put new flooring down and painted the walls, you're acting like I want to remodel the entire house." 

"Nothing's wrong," Melanie shook her head. "I don't have a problem." 

He shook his head, "Mel, the look on your face and the attitude you have right now?" he said. "That's telling me you have a problem." 

Melanie sighed, "I mean, you're dictating the entire project," she shrugged. "Just because I said yes, doesn't mean you get to pick  _every_ little thing out. I mean, what if I want to pick something out for the kitchen?" 

"So why didn't you say anything when we went to pick out cabinets?" he asked. "If you really don't like what we got, then speak up. I can swap them for a different color or style." 

"I like what was picked out," she said. "And I like the floors and the color on the walls." 

Chris nodded, "I just.. I don't know. You won't let me pick anything out for the rest of the stuff. Like new light fixtures or the kind of pantry we want them to build." 

"So tell me what you might want," Chris said, moving to the table. "The contractor isn't going to be here until after three. And we can go out tomorrow and look a light fixtures and whatever else you want to replace in here." 

"Really?" Melanie asked, hesitant that he would up and change his mind. "You mean it?" 

He nodded, "This is your house too," he reminded her. "I mean, granted.. I use the kitchen more than you. But you have to live here and look at it for the next twenty or thirty years." 

She giggled, "And who knows if you'll ever say yes to a project like this again," Chris sighed, as she sat down next to him. "So, lets hear what you want for that pantry." 

...................

"Okay, so we could change the entire light fixtures to look like boring old lights, " Melanie said, pointing to the plain fixture on display. "But if we're going with a rustic look, maybe we could do this whicker looking things?"

"What about a chandelier with the candle looking things?" Chris asked, nodding to the fixture next to the ones Melanie was pointing too. 

She shrugged, "Well....I.." she struggled to find the right words, before Chris gave her a look. "They look too medieval. And dark. Our kitchen is supposed to be rustic yet light at the same time, you know? I think chandeliers would throw off the entire look and make it feel like we're dining in a dungeon or something." 

He nodded, "Okay, so no to chandeliers," he said, as they continued to look. "How about these for over the island? And then something for over the table?" 

"We could do that," Melanie nodded, looking at the simple black lamps. "We can do two sets of them, since there's two lights on each part." 

"And they'll be easy to replace the lightbulbs when they go out," Chris nodded. "So those lights and what else?"

They moved the cart further down the aisle before Melanie stopped, "Those!" she nearly screeched, pointing to the lantern style fixtures. "Oh! I really want that for the light over the table!" 

Chris chuckled as she blushed in embarrassment, looking around to make sure other shoppers didn't catch her display of childish behavior. "Are you sure now?" he asked, teasing her. 

"Yes," she said quickly, as they went to find a salesmen. "Don't tease." 

"I'm sorry," he said, sobering up and wrapping his arm around her waist. "You just look so cute." 

"Keep it up and I'll drag you to Home Goods," she warned. "We need to decide on if we want curtains or new blinds for the windows." 

He paled at the thought. "I'll leave that to you and the ladies," he said, as they waited for someone to come and help. "Just send me pictures and that's it. That's all I want to know about that stuff." 

Melanie snickered, "I've deiced on blinds," she waved her hand at him. "Curtains are a pain in the ass to wash and dust anyways. Just need you to take measurements for the windows and the sliding door and I'll be good to go!" 

...................

"I want all the plates in these boxes, with the sheets and towels around them," Melanie ordered. "From here on out, we will be using paper plates. The forks, knives and spoons will go into this plastic container and only Mommy and Daddy will be handing them out to you guys." 

The girls nodded, as they stood by the gate, watching as Chris set a stack of glass dishes on the table. "What about the cooking bowls?" Charlotte asked. "How will Daddy cook our dinner if he doesn't have his cooking bowls?" 

"We'll use the grill," Chris said. "And if I have to use the oven, I will take the pans and pots out to use them." 

She nodded, "What about our cups?" she asked. "Will they go into the boxes?" 

Melanie shook her head, "We'll leave some out to use, but they'll have to be washed once you're done with them." 

"Once we take everything down, you won't be able to run in and out of here to get things," he said. "There's going to be stuff on the floor that could hurt your feet. And we'll be using big scary tools, that could hurt you if you play with them." 

"We pack now!" Sophia whined, as she rushed to the drawer that held the plastic bowls. "No more talk! Pack!" 

"You guys can take the plastic things and stack them into the boxes," Chris said, as he handed them the bowls and covers. "Mommy's going to pack the other stuff, because they are fragile." 

The girls moved back and forth, setting the stacks of bowls and cups into the boxes, before moving to the next cabinet. "What are we going to do with all the food?" Charlotte asked, juggling bowls and strainers. "The wall guy is coming tomorrow to break the wall!" 

Melanie set a folded towel down on a stack of dishes. "The food we'll worry about tomorrow," she said, placing the bowls down into the box. "We might put everything into a big tupperware box and put it in the laundry room." 

"Or we can eat it all," Chris teased, earning a round of giggles from the girls 

"Eat all the food!!!" Sophia shrieked, jumping up and down. "Eat! Eat! EAT!" 

Once their entire collection of silverware, cooking and baking items were stored in boxes, the girls were sent off with snacks. CJ babbled in his walker, chewing on his fingers, as his parents moved around to double check all the cabinets and drawers. 

"So what do you think, CJ?" Chris asked, taking the boy out of his walker. "In a few weeks, all of this will be completely different!" 

"Dada!" CJ shrieked, placing his saliva covered hand on his mouth. "Go! Go!" 

He moved the hand away, "You wanna go for a walk?" he asked, as the toddler shook his head. "Come on, CJ. I know you can walk by yourself. I can't carry you around all the time." 

Setting the boy down onto his feet, Chris stepped back as CJ looked up at him. Scowling, CJ quickly plopped down onto the floor and proceeded to hold his arms up, grunting at him. "Up! Up!" he cried, as Melanie giggled. "Dada! Up!" 

"Yeah, Dada," Melanie giggled. "He wants to go up!" 

Chris sighed, bending down to pick the boy up, as he squealed and giggled. "You are too much," he said, kissing the boy on the cheek. "Let's go see what your sisters are doing. It's almost bedtime for all of you." 

As they walked out of the kitchen, Melanie moved the lightest of the boxes into the laundry room, before pushing the heavier ones out of the way. Leaving the light on over the stove, she checked the lock on the sliding door, before turning the other lights off. 

"Who's ready to put on pajamas!" she yelled out, as she stepped out of the kitchen. "We have a big day tomorrow and a good nights worth of sleep is needed!" 

 


	4. Chapter 4

The commotion began early the next morning, as Melanie and the girls were ordered out of bed to help put the food in boxes. Grumbling and stomping from the cabinets to the boxes, the twins chucked the remainder of the boxes and cans, before demanding their breakfast. 

"We wants to eat now!" Sophia cried in outrage, when Chris told her to wait. "NOW!" 

"I'll put them outside," Melanie said, ushering the girls onto the patio. "You don't have to start ripping things down right this second. All of you can eat breakfast before you touch anything." 

Putting the boys- Jim, Leonard, Scotty and Pavel- on breakfast duty, Melanie put on the coffee pot and brought three bowls of cereal out for the girls to start with. "French toast sticks will be done in five minutes," she said, as they dug into their bowls. "After this, we'll quickly go upstairs and change into clothes. We have work to do outside, while Daddy and your Uncles work in the kitchen." 

Inside, CJ sat in his highchair, being spoon fed his soggy oatmeal by Chris. "So we'll take everything down and out. Except for the sink; that we can do last because of the plumbing." 

"If yeh get the box with the new counter out, Ah can put it up first," Scotty said, taking a cup of coffee from Pavel. "Otherwise, ye'll have to turn the water off on this floor until yeh get the new sink in." 

"Start with that first," Melanie said. "We still need to wash clothes and use the sink if we want to boil water for pasta or whatever else." 

Leonard shrugged, "Jim and I can do the other counters, while Scotty works on the sink," he said. "What time is Hikaru comin?" 

Chris looked at the clock on the wall, "He said he'd be here around.. a quarter to ten?" he shrugged. "He's bringing Julie, that way she can help outside and spend the day with Charlie." 

"And when Louisa get's off from work, we're going to take the kids to get ice cream," Melanie said. "If they're all behaving, that is." 

CJ pushed the spoon away from him, "No!" he pouted, scowling at Chris. "No, Dada!" 

"Really, CJ?" Chris asked, wiping up the mess on the tray. "You need to finish your breakfast, because it'll be a while before you can eat again." 

The little boy whined, throwing his arms up and over his head, kicking his feet out. "I'll take him upstairs to change," Melanie sighed. "He'll be alright outside with me, under the shade." 

"Mel, if you want, I can put him in the playpen," Chris said. "Pop a movie in and he'll be fine." 

"If he gets fussy, I'll put him down for a nap," Melanie said, taking the boy out of the chair. "But for now? He'll be outside with Mommy. Right? You're going to spend the morning outside with Mommy? We'll put a cute little hat on!" 

CJ squealed as she kissed him, "Mamamamamama!" he babbled, tucking his face into her shoulder. 

"When the girls are done, send them upstairs," Melanie said, heading out of the kitchen. "And make sure they're not  _wearing_ their breakfast when they come up." 

"Yes, Ma'am," Chris nodded, standing up to get a cup of coffee and some breakfast. "Make sure you have all those cats upstairs since you're going up there. I don't want to face the wrath and public execution if any one of them gets killed in here today." 

.................

"So we'll put the tomatoes in this pot," Melanie said, as she dug a hole into the dirt. "Sophie, can you hand me that tomato plant right there?" 

Sophia grabbed the plant and held it out for Melanie, "Mama, can we eats them now?" she asked, as Melanie took the plant out of it's container. "I wants to eat it now." 

Melanie shook her head, "We cant eat this one yet, because the tomatoes aren't there yet," she said, patting the soil around the plant. "But, we do have vegetables that need to picked in the vegetable patch." 

"Olivia, we need to put the flowers in the ground nicely," Charlotte said, from the flowerbed on the other side of the railing. "Otherwise, it won't be pretty!" 

"Charrrwee, leave me 'lone!" Olivia whined, as the girls worked. "Leave me 'lone!" 

"Girls!" Melanie called out. "No fighting! Charlie, you and Julie worry about the flowers I gave you. Olivia can plant hers any which way she wants." 

Sophia giggled as she patted the soil with her, wiggling her fingers around until they were caked with the damp product. "After this, we'll toss out the garbage," Melanie said. "And then we'll take the basket and go pick the other vegetables that are ready." 

From inside, they could hear the sound of the power drill going off, along with hammers and whatever else that Melanie couldn't decipher. The last time she peeked inside, three cabinets had been taken down off the wall and two counters were partially intact. Scotty had been under the sink, cutting the water off to avoid a potential leak, before they removed the old sink and surrounding cabinet. Along with the clashing sounds of hardware, came the shit talking. And the typical man jokes that made Melanie roll her eyes and shake her head, before she had to yell at them for their inappropriate language. 

"But it wasn't me, Mellie!" Chris exclaimed, after she scolded them. 

Too afraid to look inside to see what the kitchen looked like now, Melanie stood from her crouched position and wiped her hands together. "Let's get CJ and we'll head down to the garden." 

Grabbing the basket near the side of the house, Sophia waited on the lawn for Melanie, who took CJ off his play mat. Together, they walked across the lawn and over to the extravagant vegetable patch that the girls and Chris put together, earlier that summer before their trip to the lake house. 

"Don't pull too hard," Melanie said, as Sophia took hold of a ripe tomato. "Pull from the stem, Soph. Otherwise, it'll explode all over you." 

"Can we eats these?" she asked, setting a the freed tomato into her basket. 

Melanie nodded, "We'll eat the tomatoes tonight," she promised, as CJ rested his head against her shoulder. "Mommy has to put the sprinkler on later." 

As they combed through the various vegetables and herbs, Melanie peeked over at Olivia, Charlotte and Julie, pleased to see that they were behaving nicely. With Louisa due to arrive around four, after finishing up a case at her office, Melanie was ready to head inside and sit down for a little bit. It had been a hot day, just like the every other day in the last two weeks. They still had to get through dinner, to which the menu was undecided at the moment, since Chris was more concerned about getting cabinets and counters off the walls and out of the house. 

"How about we take a drive up to the store to get something for dinner?" Melanie asked, as Sophia poked at a growing zucchini. "Hm? Everyone's eating at the house today, except Uncle Jim and Uncle Bones." 

"Chicken wingers," Sophia nodded. "On barbies. Chicken wingers on the barbies." 

"That sounds like a great idea," Melanie nodded, as she nodded to a cucumber that was ready to be picked. "And we'll make a salad with all these tomatoes and cucumbers that we've picked. Maybe the lettuce is ready, that way we don't have to buy a big, big bag at the store." 

"WHOA!!!"

The shouted startled Melanie, as it did to the girls and CJ, who started screeching in her ear. "Oh no," Melanie muttered, as she quickly started for the house. "Girls, just stay outside, alright? Mommy's going to see what's going on inside."   
  
Rushing up the steps, Melanie quickly pulled the screen door open, praying that she wasn't walking into a blood bath. 

.........................

Melanie shook her head as Jim and Leonard carried the remains of their kitchen out to the curb outside. On the couch, Chris sat with a hello kitty bandaid above his eyebrow and three barbie bandaids on his right hand and one nemo bandaid on his left. 

"It wasn't my fault," Chris started, as CJ sat at his feet. 

"No more," Melanie shook her head. "All of you are done for the day."   
  
He began to protest, before she stopped him. "I rather have my husband with all his parts by the end of this," she said. "Now, I want you to go upstairs and take a shower. Hikaru and Pavel are going to head home to shower, before coming back for dinner. Scotty's gotta get Monty and Vivian from Gaila's parents, and Lenny and Jim have to get the twins from Nyota's. All of you are done for today and tomorrow....I don't know what the plan is for tomorrow." 

"Mellie, it's just a bump on the head a few cuts," he reasoned. "It's not like I cut my hand off or a finger." 

"It could've been!" she exclaimed. "Jesus, Christopher! It's only day one and all of you have already shed blood! What's next?" 

CJ crawled across the floor to his play mat, hightailing out of the way. Upstairs, the girls ran back and forth from bedroom to bedroom, screeching as they went. Chris sighed, sitting up, as Melanie stood before him. Grabbing her by the arm, he pulled her forward and down onto his lap, holding onto her tightly as she squirmed. 

"I bumped my head a little too hard on an open cabinet door," he said. "And the cuts are barely anything, Mellie. Nothing hurts and I don't need to go to the hospital for stitches." 

She looked at him, "We'll take it easy tomorrow when we install the first half of the cabinets and counters," he promised. "And we'll take a break and clean up the mess, before we continue with anything else." 

"Hellloooo? Anyone home?" Louisa called out, as she stepped into the house. "I saw two strapping gentlemen outside and neither of them are my husband!" 

"He went home to take a shower," Melanie called out, as Louisa stepped into the living room. "He's stopping on the way back with beer and other beverages. Girls are upstairs causing mayhem." 

Louisa nodded, "I see you've been treated via Hello Kitty," she said, eyeing the bandaids. "Barbie and Nemo, huh?" 

Chris sighed, "Regular bandaids don't exist in this house," he said. "A rule that was put into effect by Charlotte when she was three and a half." 

"I see," she giggled. "Well, I'll head upstairs to see if they haven't killed one another. Or locked one girl in a closet and the other in a toy bin." 

Melanie sighed, "I also have to go to the store to get dinner," she said, as Louisa headed upstairs. "Sophie wants chicken wings to go with the salad, made with the fresh produce of your garden." 

"I'll get the grill ready then," Chris said, as Melanie shook her head. 

"No, you're going into the shower and you will be here when I get back, playing with CJ," she said. "I'll take Sophie and whoever else with me to the store." 

He began to whine, until she pinched his arm. "Ow!" he yelped. "I'm injured and you still abuse me?!" 

"Do what I say and I won't have to hurt you," she smirked. "Shower and park your ass on the couch with your son. In fact, take him upstairs and let him sit outside the shower. The sound of the water relaxes him after being out all day long."

"Yes, Mom," he groaned, before being silence with a kiss. 

The front door opened again and Leonard walked in, groaning in disgust at the two of them. "Can you not?" he huffed, as CJ squealed. "Especially in front of your son?" 

"What do you want, Lenny?" Melanie sighed, looking over at him. 

"We're heading out," he rolled his eyes. "We'll be back in an hour and a half with Jo and the twins. Please save us some food.. though, I find it hard to believe that Sophia can wolf down two value packs of chicken wings." 

Melanie got up and headed to the stairs, calling for Sophia and Olivia, while Chris stayed on the couch.  "You'd be surprised," Chris snorted. "Sophie eats like a quarterback these days." 

Leonard shook his head, "Better get it under control before puberty," he warned, turning back to the front door. "Otherwise, she'll look like a quarterback." 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

"I do like this," Melanie said, the next afternoon, as the boys took a short break to eat lunch. "I was worried about how the glass paneling on these doors would look in here.. but I do like it.'

She carefully closed the door to the cabinet that would soon hold their plates and bowls. It was one of three cabinets that had been placed on the walls, since the day before, along with the new sink and one other counter. With all the kids downstairs watching a movie, Melanie was able to clean up around the house, while keeping an eye on the youngest of the bunch. 

"I think once the lights go in, it'll look good," Chris nodded. "The lights won't be as bright as they are now, especially with the darker fixtures they'll be in." 

"Tomorrow, I'll take a ride up to Home Goods and see if I can find blinds to go with everything," "Melanie nodded. "I think instead of curtains, I could put up valances. Otherwise, the windows will look too bare without anything around them." 

Chris nodded, "As long as it doesn't look like my grandmother's kitchen," he shuddered. "I remember her having the ugliest valances in the kitchen when I was a kid. They were so ugly, my grandfather "accidentally set one set on fire. On Christmas Day, mind you." 

Melanie snorted, "Well, I'll make sure to pick out something nice," she promised. "With our luck, the whole house would burn down if you tried that."

Double checking on the boys outside and making sure they had plenty to eat, Melanie went back out to the living room to finish folding and sorting the laundry. before putting the clothes in one basket and the towels and sheets in another. It had been an easier day with the kitchen, as it took quite a while to get one cabinet up onto the wall, as well as the counter. It had been too hot out for the kids to be running around outside, along with the threat of a  severe weather outbreak for that afternoon. 

"I'm gonna put the gate up," Melanie said, as she picked the blocking device up. "I think I'll order pizza for the kids. That way I don't have to run in and out of kitchen, while you guys work." 

"Sounds good," Chris nodded. "I put juice boxes and water bottles in the cooler and it's by the wall near the gate." 

With the gate up and secure, Melanie grabbed her phone off the coffee table and went to the door of the basement, pulling the door open. "Girls? Monty?" she called down to them. "I'm going to order pizza, so if you want something specific on your pizza you need to come up here and tell me!" 

The shrieks and pounding of feet, rushing across the floor and up the stairs, made her jump. Stepping back, she gave them space to stumble out so they could swarm around her, shouting out what toppings they wanted. 

"'Aronie!" Olivia and Monty squealed

"Cheese!" Julie and Charlotte nodded furiously. "Get halfsies!" 

Sophia pouted, "I wants bacon and sausies!" she whined. 

Melanie nodded, "I'll get one pie that's half pepperoni and cheese," she said. "And one pie that's bacon and sausage, since Daddy can eat that later for dinner." 

"Will you get soda with our pizza?" Charlotte asked, patting her eyelashes at her. 

"One bottle," Melanie warned. "And I'm not getting the garlic knots, because I ended up throwing the remainder in the garbage." 

They all nodded, "Can we go watch the movie now?" Monty asked. 

Melanie nodded, "Go on," she said, as they started downstairs "I'll call you up when it's here." 

......................

Later, as the kids ate in the living room, Melanie sat outside on the porch with Louisa and Nyota. Both has stopped by shortly after the pizza arrived, wanting to see how their husbands were doing and to bring snacks. 

"So, have either of you heard from Gaila?" Nyota asked, as she shifted Amanda in her arms. 

"Nope," Louisa shook her head, "And we haven't really heard much from Scotty expect for the last few days. He's been busy trying to get his work done, while dealing with the kids and the house chores." 

Melanie nodded, "And Gaila put me on a list of "do not forward her calls," ever since she went up there," she said. "And Scotty tells me bits and pieces here and there, but it's still too raw to talk about." 

It had been nearly a month since Gaila went away, cutting off her contact with Melanie and a few others, as she coped with her depression. And with the constant shuffling between houses, Monty and Vivian were spending less and less time at home with their father.

"I just hope she's doing good," Nyota shrugged. "She hasn't called and when I do call or write letters, I don't get a response." 

"Maybe she cut all of us off?" Louisa offered. "Maybe she only keeps in contact with Scotty, because of the kids."  
  
Melanie sighed, "Either way, I hope she's getting better," she said. "I can't worry about it like I used too, because I don't know what state of mind she's in at the moment. If it's that bad, where I should be worried.. you know?" 

The girls nodded, "And besides, she doesn't want me in contact with her or knowing about her progress.. so what's the point of stressing out like crazy? Scotty doesn't tell me anything and I don't ask, because there's not enough time for him to sit down and go over every single thing that the doctors are doing with her. I'm worried about her and I hope she's doing better, but she wanted the space. So I'm going to respect her wishes and give her the space she needs, to better herself and work on her issues." 

"It's still new as well," Louisa pointed out. " This Friday will be a month. Maybe when a little more time goes by, she'll start lifting the blocks and she'll respond to everyone."

Nyota nodded, "When she's ready, she'll contact you," she insisted. "Same with all of us. She almost lost Vivian and her life. That's something she's trying to cope with, along with the hysterectomy and the postpartum. It's just been a rough time for her and she needs a break to find herself again, instead of holding it in and hurting herself or the kids." 

"Mommy, can I have more pizza?" 

Melanie turned around and found Sophia standing behind the screen door, her face smeared with sauce and her hands pressing against the screen. "How many did you have already?" she asked, as Sophia licked her lips. 

"Three." 

"How about you wait a little bit," Melanie said. "Just to be sure you can fit one more slice in that belly." 

Sophia pouted, "Sophia Grace. Do you want to end up pooping all night long?" Melanie asked. 

"Yes," Sophia nodded. "I like to poop. Mommy, I'm eating more pizza!" 

She then turn and disappeared into the house, "That girl is too much," Nyota laughed, as she got up from the lounge chair. "Let me go and change this one. ANd I think we should move inside for the time being. Fucking mosquitos are out of control tonight." 

.....................

"When are they coming again to start the pantry?" Melanie asked, as Chris laid face down on their bed, still dressed in his clothes; his work boots unlaced and still on his feet. 

"Tomorrow," he yawned, as she pulled the boots off his feet. "Which means, we need to hustle and get the last three counters in and that one cabinet over the stove." 

Setting the boots down on the floor, Melanie went to get clean clothes out of the dresser for him. "Why don't you get into the shower?" she asked. "I'll get the bed ready and you can take an aspirin." 

He grumbled as she rubbed his shoulder, "I know you don't want to get up," she said, feeling bad. "But you kinda stink right now." 

"That was mean," Chris said, scowling at her. 

"It was," she nodded. "But a hot shower will make you feel better. Especially with the workout you've been getting, lifting all those boxes and panels of wood." 

Chris slowly rolled over and got up, groaning in pain. "Five minute shower and bed," she promised, as he started towards the bathroom. "Here are your clothes. I put new body wash in there too, since you hate the other one I have in there." 

"I smelled like a kiwi," he said, turning the shower on. "Olivia bit me because I smelled like one, then proceeded to cry when I told her we didn't have any kiwi's in the house." 

Melanie snorted, "I apologize," she nodded. "Now, get in the shower. I'll have everything waiting for you when you come out." 

When he came out, ten minutes later, the blankets were turned down on the bed; a cold glass of water and a bottle of aspirin sat on his nightstand. "I smell like a fucking pear," he grumbled, sitting down on the bed. 

"But you make for a very  _sexy_ pear," she teased, as he took two pills; washing them down with the water. "What time do you want me to set the alarm?" _  
_

"Eight-thirty,' he mumbled, laying down with a pained groan. "Fucking hell..."

Setting the alarm, Melanie reached over and turned the lamp off. "Goodnight," she said gently, kissing him. "If you still feel achey tomorrow, maybe you could sit back and direct the boys. Or I'll put the TENS unit on your back." 

Chris yawned, "Sounds.. good," he mumbled, as she pulled the blankets up. "Make sure you tell the guy about the direction of the shelves. And the door you want." 

"I will," she said, laying down next to him. "Wake me if you need anything." 

He snored in response, making her giggle as she shifted against the pillows. She made a mental note to let her brother know that Chris would need an extra pair of eyes on him, just in case he found himself struggling with the work. With that final thought, Melanie felt her body settle against the mattress, before she too feel into a slumber. 

 


	6. Chapter 6

With most the cabinets and counters installed, the pantry was the next step. With a professional crew coming in and out of the house, Melanie had to find ways to keep the girls occupied and out of the way. So, with the cats downstairs in the basement- fresh food, water and litter boxes with them- Melanie took the girls and CJ  out for most of the day. Chris stayed behind, making sure that things were running smoothly, as a group of four men moved throughout the kitchen to the truck outside in the front. 

"Now," Melanie said, as she parked the car in the driveway. "When we go inside, we are going to wait in the living room. The kitchen is off limits, is that understood?" 

They all nodded, except CJ, as Melanie unbuckled herself. Getting out of the car, Melanie unbuckled each of the girls and CJ out of his carseat, before moving to the back of the car to get the shopping bags. Heading up the front steps, Melanie pulled the screen door open and moved aside so the girls could go in, before stepping in herself. The noise was unbearable, as power saws and the clatter of tools and parts of their wall knocked into things. 

"God, " Melanie muttered, as the girls dropped the bags on the floor. "Okay, stay right here. Mommy's going to see what's going on with Daddy and then we'll put our clothes away." 

"Mommy, I want a juice box," Charlotte pouted. "Can Daddy get juice boxes for us?" 

"Yeah!" Sophia chimed in, nodding. "Goldfish!" 

Melanie sighed, "I will get that stuff for you," she promised, shifting CJ in her arms. "Just.. wait patiently." 

Leaving them behind to wait in the living room, Melanie went towards the kitchen and peered inside, taking in the mess that was all over the floor. What was once a bare wall, was now a gaping hole, cut out into the shape of a door. 

"Jesus," she shook her head, as two men hacked away inside the hole. "Chris!" 

"Hey!" he came over to her, giving her a kiss hello. "And hello to you too, CJ." 

He gave the little boy a kiss on the forehead, running his hand down the back of his head. "Well, what do you think?" he asked, nodding to the wall. 

Melanie blinked, "It's a hole," she noted. 

"Well, yeah.." Chris chuckled. "Once they get everything cut and cleared out, they'll go in and put stuff up to make stronger walls to support the shelves. They had to make sure they weren't going in too deep, because the pipes for the sink are around there, along with electrical wires." 

"Thank god for that," she mumbled. 

He nodded, "How was your day out with the kids?" he asked, changing the subject. "I'm assuming you went to the mall?" 

Melanie nodded, "It was good," she shrugged. "Got some things for the kids for school. Olivia got a backpack with ballerina pigs and some school supplies that matched, which was really nice. CJ has some cute things for fall and new pajamas, since he's getting too big for the ones he has now." 

"Mama!" 

"Well, hopefully that will be enough for them to get through the first month and a half of school," he sighed. "They're going to be clearing out of here within the next hour and a half, so once they do, I'll figure something out for dinner." 

"I might run up to the store and get some of those kabob things," Melanie said, as CJ grabbed at her hair. "I'm really not in the mood for hotdogs and hamburgers tonight, since we had them everyday for the last week." 

He nodded, "I could always take a can of baked beans and cook them over the bonfire pit," he shrugged. "It's a good thing I bought that piece for pots and pans! Who knew it would ever come in handy." 

Melanie grimaced, "Who knew we would have to get a new stove," she shook her head. "I still can't believe we've been cooking with a fucking time bomb!" 

Earlier in the week, when it was time to put the counters up around the stove, Scotty was quick to make the discovery of the faulty wires. 

 _"Ah can't replace these,"_ he shook his head, as he looked at the wires that led to the outlet behind the stove. " _Even a licensed electrician would say the same. Yeh need a new stove, lad. Ah'll unplug this one and we'll load in my truck. There's a lad down in town that could use whatever's salvageable and dispose the rest safely."_

"I swear, if anything else is broken..."Melanie shook her head. "I'm afraid of what condition Scotty will find the dishwasher in." 

"Mel, the dishwasher is only two years old," Chris reminded her. "And we have a five year warranty, so we can call it in for service and won't have to pay for it." 

In the living room, the girls were arguing with one another, before one of the twins shouted for them. "MOMMMYYY! I WANT MY JUICE BOX!" Olivia cried out, as Sophia screeched. 

Moving to the refrigerator, Chris grabbed three juice boxes out for the girls. "I'll make a bottle for him," he said, nodding to CJ, as he walked into the living room. "What.. Sophia, get off the back of the couch! This isn't a barn!" 

"Let's get you upstairs and into a clean diaper," Melanie said, as CJ began to whimper. "Then we'll put you down for a nap, that way Mommy can go out and buy something for dinner." 

..................

Later, with the kids sacked out all over the furniture in the living room, Melanie was busy in her office surfing the Pottery Barn website. There was a knock on the door, startling her as she sat up quickly. 

"Are you watching porn?" Chris teased, as he came into the office. "Don't let me stop you if you are."   
  
"Why would I need to watch porn?" she scoffed, as he settled down on the couch near the wall. "What are the kids doing?" 

He stretched his arms up and over his head, before draping his arms along the back of the couch. "All out," he said. "CJ's in the playpen snoring, Charlie's got the love seat to herself and the bean sisters are out of the floor." 

Melanie shook her head, "I think Sophia farted too, when I put the blanket over her," Chris chuckled. "I think we'll lay off on the baked beans for a while." 

"Well, they take after you," Melanie remarked, as she went back to surfing the web. "Do we need new placemats for the table?" 

"Placemats?" Chris frowned, as Melanie nodded. "Mel, we don't have placemats on the table to begin with." 

She sighed deeply, "It was just a question..." she muttered, as the mouse clicked. 

"I have a question," Chris started. "Why are you still sitting at the computer, when we have an unknown amount of free time to fool around?" 

"Oh,  _you_ want to fool around?" Melanie said. "Well, what happened when  _I_ wanted to fool around the other morning?" 

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mel, did you really want to have sex with Sophia standing at the foot of the bed?" he asked. "Because we already had sex in front of one kid and I sure as hell don't want to do it in front of another. 

"If you want to fuck so bad, you have to close the door," Melanie finally gave in. "Otherwise, we'll have three children wanting to know why Daddy's got Mommy pinned down on the couch or floor." 

Quicker than she could blink, Chris had the door to the office closed and the locked, before he was back on the couch; waiting. Making a show of it, Melanie pushed the chair out and slowly got up from it, making her way around the desk and over to the sofa. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that right?" she asked, as she climbed up onto his lap.

"But you love me anyway," he pointed out, kissing her exposed collar bone. "We have probably... fifteen minutes? Before someone wakes up and complains about wanting juice or a snack." 

She nodded, "Then you better get to it, Chris," she said, gasping as he gripped her hips. 

........................

"I think we should get the baby cart for the apples and bananas," Charlotte nodded, as she followed Melanie around Pottery Barn. "That way each apple and banana has a home." 

Melanie checked the price tag and shook her head, "Not for a hundred and thirty dollars," she said, as Charlotte groaned. "We can get a banana stand, for much less, and a nice bowl for the other fruits and vegetables." 

With Chris at home supervising the construction workers again, Melanie dropped the twins and CJ off with Leonard and Jim, while she took Charlotte out for a day of shopping. With a firm reminder from Chris to not go overboard, Melanie and Charlotte were at the outlets by noon, browsing through the shop at a slow pace. 

"What are we getting for the food closet?" Charlotte asked. 

"Once the shelves are in and the closet is ready, we'll come back to get stuff for that," she said, looking at the placemats on display. "Right now, we're getting stuff for he drawers and the table. And all of Daddy's cooking spoons." 

Charlotte nodded, "After we buy all that stuff, can we get a frappy?" 

Setting a spice rack into a wagon, Melanie nodded. "We can go to Starbucks," she said. "Or we can go to Dunkin and get drinks for everyone, including Daddy. He could use a big up of coffee, since he had a rough night." 

"Kay," Charlotte nodded. "Ooohhhh!  A piggy napkin holder! Can we get it, Mommy? Olivia would like it very much!" 

 


	7. Chapter 7

The absence of a stove was severe, as Melanie ran out of things to cook for the kids when it was time to eat. Between the microwave and grill, the endless amount of hot dogs, burgers and corn on the cob, was slowly driving her crazy. 

"Girls, you cannot stand over here," Chris said, as Sophia and Olivia stood in the doorway of the kitchen. "You know better." 

Sophia gigged, as she watched the men work. "Daddy, they pretty," she said, pointing to the youngest man in the group. "He look like Thor!" 

Chris rolled his eyes, "Alright, at six years old, you shouldn't be fawning over boys half your age," he said, leading them back to the living room. "You have plenty of movies and toys to play with in here." 

"I'm hungry," Olivia pouted, as she climbed onto the couch. "I want to eats." 

"I'll bring something in for you," he said. "Mommy and Charlie should be home soon with whatever they're baking at Aunt Nyota's house." 

They scowled, "Hey, you two didn't want to get up this morning, "he reminded them. "You've only got yourselves to blame for missing out on a day of baking. So, sit here and relax. I'll see if we have any chips that you can inhale." 

................

"I don't even cook half as much as Chris does and I miss my stove," Melanie pouted, as a tray of brownies went into the oven. "I don't know how much longer I can live like this." 

Nyota snorted as she put together the last of the vegetable lasagna. "It's not so bad, Mel. Chris said you two were going this Saturday to look at stoves." 

"It's Tuesday," Melanie grunted, sitting at the counter. "That means I have five days, plus however long it takes to get the stove into the house, of hot dogs and hamburgers." 

"Mommy, you complain too much," Charlotte sighed, as she sat at the kitchen table. 

Nyota nodded, "Yeah, Mommy,' she agreed. "You complain too much."

Melanie shook her head, "You can always get other things to cook on the grill," Nyota pointed out. "Don't buy hot dogs and hamburgers every time you go to the grocery store. Get chicken or ribs. Chris can even grill vegetables on the grill, since he has all those ridiculous contraptions for the damn thing." 

"Mommy, we can get chicken legs!" Charlotte nodded. "And chicken boobies for Daddy to make." 

"I don't know why Chris hasn't made anything other than hot dogs and burgers," Nyota said, setting the baking dish into the oven. "I mean, he's a chef! A good one at that!" 

"Don't ask me," Melanie shook her head. "He's been so consumed with this pantry thing now. It's taking a bit longer than he had hoped. Deadline is approaching fast too, since the girls head back to school in two weeks." 

Charlotte pouted, "We still haven't gone to see the fishies again at the fish house,' she said. "And Daddy was going to take us to the park to play on the jungle gym." 

Nyota nodded, "Well, hopefully Daddy will have time to do all that when the kitchen is done," she said. "He just wants to make sure that everything is good to go, you know? Otherwise, all that hard work and money spent will be for nothing." 

"Is Daddy still taking me to the art store on Friday?" Charlotte asked, turning in her chair to look at her mother. "He promised to take me." 

"Daddy will take you to the art store," Melanie nodded, making a mental note to remind Chris when they got home. "Daddy has to anyways, since he's the only one that can carry heavy paint canvases." 

Nyota frowned, "Charlie's art teacher at school mentioned this art program for "gifted" children that's on the weekends in the fall," Melanie filled her in. "Since Charlie's our very own Francois Boucher, she thought attending the program would be good for her."

"Wow," Nyota said, as Charlotte nodded. " Seven and a half years old and she's already painting for future art history texts. How?  _How?"_  
  


"Chris said the same thing when he read the letter from school," Melanie said, as she stood up to get a bag of carrots from the fridge. "This skill set isn't from his side of the family, nor is it from mine. I'm lucky I can even blend two colors together, while Chris can barely draw even proportions for stick figures." 

..................

Another day of construction was down in the books, as dinner was held inside that night. Instead of burgers and hot dogs, they feasted on homemade chicken pot pie, while CJ ate another Gerber produce meal. 

"How many more days will they be here?" Melanie asked, as the kids ate. 

"Well, they can't come Friday," Chris started. "So they'll be back on Monday morning to put the rest of the interior walling in, before installing the shelves." 

Charlotte was pleased with that answer, "So we can still get my art things!" she exclaimed, beaming with happiness.

Chris frowned, before Melanie nudged him, "Right!" he quickly said, glancing at his wife, who shook her head. "What are we getting again?" 

Dismayed, Charlotte's smile began to slip, before Chris saved himself the meltdown. "I want to see if you remember," he said. "Otherwise, if you don't remember.. how will I know what to get off the shelf?"   
  
"I needs a big painting board," Charlotte started. "Paints, a new brush to paint my trees...." 

The list went on and on, before Melanie cut in. "Honey, a lot of that stuff the school will have for you," she reminded her. "Mommy is going to give Daddy the list that was sent out. Whatever you can't find there, we'll get at another store." 

"Okay," Charlotte sighed. "I can't wait to go out with Daddy! We're going to have so much fun!" 

"I wanna go bye bye with Daddy," Sophia pouted, as she smeared her fork with mashed potatoes. "No fair!" 

Chris sighed, "We can go out together the next day," he promised. "Charlie's got a sleepover with Julie Friday night into Sunday. That's why we are going during the day to get her stuff for her paintings." 

Sophia continued to whine, "Sophie, just eat your food," Melanie said. "We'll do something fun of Friday, while Daddy and Charlie are out." 

"Pwomise?" 

"I promise," Melanie nodded. "Now, be a good girl and finish eating your dinner. Mommy and Aunt Nyota worked really hard to make this today, so it'll break our hearts if you don't finish eating whats on your plate." 

.....................

When Friday rolled around, Chris had Charlotte up and dressed for the day by nine-thirty. Stopping to get breakfast along the way, they reached the "way too overpriced for my liking" art store in town. 

"When I can take my painting home, I want to put it in the kitchen," Charlotte informed him. "Right by the table that Mommy puts the phone and the dreaded bills." 

Chris snorted, "Okay," he nodded. "But what exactly are you painting?" 

"Something eye-talian," she nodded, looking at the tubes of paint. "Don't worry, Daddy. I know what to paint for the house, since Mommy said the kitchen was a.. slice out of Italy. Mommy said she was going to buy smaller paint boards for me at the other store she likes, that way I can paint more for the house." 

With the giant canvas board waiting for them up front, Chris carried a basket around while Charlotte picked out a few tubes of paint and a few other required items that she needed for the eight week program at the community college. The idea that Charlotte would be taking an art class, with a group of teens and twenty-something year olds, made Chris worry. While she would be eight in October and could standup for herself, it still made him panic. 

"Now, when you go to this class.. will Mommy be waiting for you outside?" he asked, as he took the tube of yellow paint from her. 

Charlotte nodded, "Mommy said that she would sit outside the room and wait for me," she said. "Mrs. Amara says that Mommy can come into the room with me too! Because Mr. Amara is teaching the class at the big kid school." 

"Oh," Chris nodded slowly. "Well, that's good! At least it's someone that your art teacher knows." 

"Daddy, you don't have to worry about me," Charlotte said, looking up at him. "If a big kid is mean to me, Mr. Amara will take care of him." 

Bending down to be at eye-level with her, Chris set the basket down on the floor and sighed. "Charlie, I'll always worry about you," he admitted. "That's part of being a parent, kiddo. But I'm really proud of you, Charlie. You're getting an opportunity of a lifetime here, and you're only seven." 

"And a half," she corrected him, making him laugh. "I still want to be a food lady though. Art is my..." 

"Hobby?" 

Charlotte nodded, "My hobby," she said. "I still want to go to school where you work when I'm growned up." 

Chris nodded, "Well, that's still a long way away," he said. "I'll see if we have any programs going on for kids and if you want to sign up for them, we can do that." 

"Really?" she gasped, her eyes wide. 

"Yeah," he nodded. "They teach you how make simple things, but it's still fun." 

She squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Daddy!" she exclaimed, as he stood up with her in his arms. "That will be so much fun! And maybe Uncle Hikaru and Aunt Louisa will let Julie come too!" 

He kissed the side of her head, bending down to retrieve the basket on the floor. "I'll keep an eye out for them and we'll asked them," he promised. "Now, let's get your paint brush for your trees and whatever else you need. We still have to stop and get a movie from the library and ice cream." 

 


	8. Chapter 8

"I know you wanted chicken nuggets, but you'll have to wait until Monday," Melanie said, as she carried the serving tray into the living room. "That's when we get the new stove."

On the floor, around the coffee table Sophia and Olivia sat patiently, waiting for dinner. With storm clouds rolling in and the threat of a thunderstorm, Chris was sent out to get dinner at he grocery store, while Melanie put together a salad at home. On the menu that night, since the grill was off limits that night, was fried chicken. 

"How can we live like this?" Sophia whined, as she got sat down at her spot at the coffee table. 

"It's only Saturday," Chris chuckled, as he took the tray from Melanie. "Tomorrow we're having dinner with Uncle Bones and Uncle Jim. They have a working oven, so maybe we can make chicken nuggets at their house." 

Melanie placed a helping of salad on each dish, before setting the bowl back onto the tray. "Just eat your chicken and salad,' she said, as Sophia requested a chicken leg. "We have ice cream and leftover brownies for dessert." 

Once the girls were settled with their foot, Melanie sat with CJ on her lap, feeding him bits of chicken and his own dinner. "Shelves are most likely going up on Monday," Chris said, as they ate. "I had a call today from Antonio and he said they got all the shelves in this morning." 

"Thank god," Melanie sighed in relief, as CJ drooled on her hand. "I can't wait to have all this done, that way we can start decorating and putting the final touches on everything. Charlotte wants to go back to Pottery Barn, so maybe I'll take her and Julie on Tuesday. "  

Chris winced, "How about Ikea?" he offered. "Pottery Barn is really expensive and we can buy the same thing at Ikea for a little less." 

"I wants bowls," Olivia said, her hands smeared with grease. "Green bowls."

"I wants more food," Sophia grumbled. "For my food house." 

On Melanie's lap, CJ shrieked and wiggled. "I guess he wants a say in decorating too," Chris said, as CJ babbled. "But for now, we're going to eat dinner and then afterwards, we'll relax. It's been a long week and we can finally sit down and relax." 

"Where's Charwee?" Olivia asked, licking her fork. 

"Charlie's spending the weekend with Julie," Chris said, as he handed her a napkin. "So it's just you three until tomorrow night." 

Sophia giggled, "We play without Charwee!" she nodded. "Charwee no play good." 

"Don't talk about your sister," Melanie warned, spearing a tomato with her fork. "Especially when she is not here to defend herself." 

The girl scowled, kneeling up to grab for the bucket of chicken. "Mommy, you are mean," she announced, plucking a chicken breast out. "Meanie Mommy." 

"Hey!" Chris shook his head. "Watch that mouth of yours, Sophia. Otherwise, you'll be sent into your room without dessert." 

Olivia giggled into her dish, while CJ squealed. "Now, finish eating, Chris continued. "Otherwise, I'll eat all the brownies Mommy and Charlie made yesterday." 

....................

The weekend went by quickly, as Monday morning rolled in. With construction picking up where it left off, the girls were fussy all morning long. 

"Why cant's I go outside?" Sophia whined, stomping her foot. "I wants to go outside!" 

Melanie sighed, as she folded the laundry in the spare bedroom. "Because it's pouring outside," she said, setting a towel down. "Why don't you help Olivia and Charlie sort through the socks?" 

She shook her head, "No want to!" she cried. "I wants to go outside!" 

"Sophia Grace! If you say it one more time, you'll be grounded until after Christmas!" Melanie snapped. "You're not going outside in the rain, so stop asking me!" 

Sophia blinked, her eyes filling with tears, as she began to wail. Melanie groaned, dropping the dishtowel into the basket. "Sophie..." 

Quickly, Sophia turned on her heel and rushed out of the room, crying for Chris. "Don't worry, Mommy," Charlotte said, as she set a matched pair together. "Daddy will take care of Sophie and her bad behavior." 

On the play mat, CJ sat quietly with his toys, watching his sisters as they sorted through the basket of socks. Melanie sighed and went back to work, folding the towels and sheets, before placing them neatly into the basket. Setting the basket down on the floor, Melanie grabbed the next basket and started folding and sorting Charlotte's clothes from her sisters. 

"You have to be a good girl, Sophie," she heard Chris say. "You know you can't go outside in the rain and you can't be running around the house, while these guys are working."

"Mommy yelleded at me," Sophia cried. "She yelleded!" 

A few minutes later, Chris was standing in the doorway of the spare bedroom with Sophia in his arms. "How about you sit and eat your ice pop nicely?" he suggested. "Charlie and Olivia can eat theirs with you, while Mommy eats her." 

IN his hand, he held four ice pops, while Sophia licked at hers. "How about it guys?" Chris asked, looking from the girls to Melanie. "A quick ice pop break?" 

"Yes!" Charlotte and Olivia shrieked, scrambling to their feet. 

"Don't make a mess," Melanie warned, as she took one from Chris. "Mommy has enough laundry to go through.. I don't want to add to that growing pile." 

As the girls ate, Chris made his way over to the bed and sat down next to Melanie. "Everything alright?" he asked, as he set CJ down on the bed. 

"She's driving me crazy," she muttered, as CJ babbled. 

"Don't they always?" he asked, pulling CJ on his lap. "They're almost done. They have three more shelves to install and they'll be out of here." 

She blinked, "Really?" she asked, as he nodded. "For the day? Or they're done, done?" 

"This was the last thing they had to do," he shrugged. "After today, we won't have to worry about a bunch of strange men ripping our house apart." 

Melanie sighed in relief, "Thank god," she nodded. "And we'll get the stove tomorrow and you guys can put the counter up next to it..." 

"And we'll be done," he finished. "Thank god, too. We only have a week and a half left before the kids go back to school. I still have things I want to do with them before we hand them off to their poor educators." 

She snickered, "How about we wait another eight years before we decide to re-model another part of the house?" she asked. "Preferably in the beginning of the summer, that way we have the rest of it to enjoy our time with the kids." 

Chris chuckled, which sent CJ into a fit of giggles. "Deal,' he nodded, as she opened the ice pop. "God only knows that I'll have to plan the next re-model out extensively before jumping in, head first." 

 


	9. Chapter 9

With the pantry completed and a brand new stove delivered, Leonard and Jim returned to the house, with power tools in hand to help put up the last counter. Taking the girland Joanna, Melanie met up with Nyota, Louisa and Julie at the Ikea to pick out new decor for the kitchen. 

"We need new storage holders for the drawers and counters," Melanie said, as they headed down the marketplace of the furniture store. "And Daddy requested that we didn't get too crazy today, alright?" 

Charlotte and Julie sighed, "But Mommmmmyyyy," Charlotte pouted. "It's a new kitchen! Which means we need new things!" 

"Yeah!" Julie agreed. "I mean... I like the old plates you and Mr. Pike have, but we can pick out prettier ones!" 

Louisa shook her head, "Julie, this is Mrs. Pike's kitchen," she reminded her. "If she doesn't need new plates, then she doesn't have to get them." 

"Awww, Mommy!" she pouted. "Can we get new plates? Daddy did break like.. five of them by accident." 

"We'll see," Louisa sighed. "We came here to get new rugs for the front and back door, as well as a new lamp shade since Kili thought it was a wonderful idea to knock the lamp down in the living room." 

With Melanie manning the cart, Olivia opted to spend the day with Nyota, helping her pick out stuff for Amanda's room.  Sophia stood by Melanie, holding onto the side of the wagon, looking up at the displays on the walls. With a shopping list in hand, they started walking through the semi-crowded marketplace, looking for the required items that were needed in the kitchen. Spending almost two hours in the kitchen department of the marketplace, Melanie managed to stock up on new flatware trays, cooking spoons, measuring cups and other accessories that were tossed out before everything was stored into protective boxes. 

"You want these?" Melanie asked, as Sophia held up a bundle of plastic bowls. "We have plenty of bowls though, Sophie. Mommy needs to get placemats for the table though. Do you want to help me pick out placemats?" 

"Kay," Sophia nodded, as Melanie set the bowls back into the bin. "What colors to I picks?" 

Reaching the display of placemats, Melanie began to look at the various prints and colors provided. "How about..." she scanned the shelves, before pulling one design out. "These round ones? In this pretty orange color?" 

Sophia nodded, "I like these!" she exclaimed. "We need one for everyone, Mommy!" 

"So orange?" Melanie asked, as she took a few off the shelf. 

"Oh-range!" 

Placing them into the cart, Melanie took her by the hand and used the other to push the cart forward. "Let's look around for a few more things, before we meet up with the others. Maybe we can get something to put all the mail in for the table near the wall." 

"When we go food shops?" Sophia asked, as she held onto the wagon. "Can I go food shops?" 

"Maybe tomorrow," Melanie said, as they reached a very crowded section of the marketplace. "I'm going to let you sit up here, okay? It's very crowded and I don't want you getting lost." 

Sophia nodded and held her arms up, giggling as Melanie scooped her up and placed her in the top seat of the wagon. "Keep your toes in," she said, as the girl sat with her knees up to her chest. "You're going to need them if you want to join soccer in the spring!" 

.....................

At home, with the final counter in place, the boys went out back to celebrate with congratulatory beers. 

"God, I am relieved that it's done," Chris sighed, as CJ shrieked. 

Leonard snickered, "Until you guys decide to rip another room apart," he said, taking a sip of his ice-water. "Or when CJ upgrades to a big boy bed." 

"CJ isn't getting a new bed until he's too big for his crib," Chris said, as the boy babbled. "I am not rushing him into the next stage of his childhood, Leonard. He's only a year old." 

Jim sighed, "Bones wants to open one of the spare rooms upstairs for either Leah or Noah," he announced. "They just turned one and he already wants to separate them." 

"I didn't-" Leonard started, before JIm shot him a warning look. "I just think that maybe it's time they get their own rooms." 

"Len, they're a year old," Chris shook his head. "They really don't need to be separated until they start school." 

"Thank you!" Jim exclaimed. 

Leonard rolled his eyes, "Are they sleeping through the night now?" Chris asked, as the man across from him nodded. "Then leave them be, Len. Seriously, once they start pre-school, that's when you should put them in their own rooms. And you have to do it slowly, that way you don't stress them out." 

With the twins asleep inside, Leonard and Jim were relieved to have some time together without having to deal with diaper changes or fussy babies. The summer had been a cruel one, heat-wise, as the children whined and cried about being too hot; the air conditioners were running full blast, turning the houses into ice boxes. 

"How do Sophie and Olivia get along with being in one bedroom?" Jim asked. "What are you going to do if one of them requests to move into their own room?" 

Chris shrugged, setting the beer bottle down on the arm of the chair. "There's not much we can do," he admitted. "Mel's not going to give up the office and we can't turn the one guest room into a bedroom for Sophie or Liv. And after the work we just did, I don't plan on moving into another house, just so they can have their own rooms." 

"You could build an extra room....." Leonard shrugged. 

"They're staying in the same room," Chris concluded. "They've been in the same room together since birth and, while they have their moments when they try to kill each other, they do enjoy sharing a room together. It's a twin thing, guys. Luckily, they're both girls, so it's not such a big deal." 

Jim sighed, "I just don't want to rush it," he said. "And neither of them are getting that spare room downstairs, Bones. The spare room next to the nursery can go to either one of them, that way they're still close to one another with a wall between them." 

Leonard held up his hands, "Alright, alright," he sighed. "We'll worry about this when they're ready for pre-school." 

A steady silence fell between them, CJ babbling every few minutes, before he turned his attention to Chris. "Dadaaaaa!!!" he whined, pointing to him. "Dada!" 

"Come on," Chris sighed, as Jim carefully handed him over. "I wasn't ignoring you, buddy. You were the one that wanted to sit with Uncle Jim, remember?" 

The boy whined, tugging at his shirt, his face flush from the heat despite sitting under the umbrella at the table. "How about we head inside?" Chris suggested. "We'll put you in a new diaper and you can sit in the air conditioning. God only knows when Mommy will return with your sisters." 

"Along with a bill that's way too high," Leonard snorted, as Chris stood up with the boy. "I'm surprised my sister hasn't maxed that credit card out yet." 

"That's because I took it away from her," Chris said, as they started inside the house. "Granted, she gets paid her yearly salary for reading eight papers a year.. but she doesn't need to walk around with that credit card in her wallet every single day." 

Jim laughed, "Why did you give it back to her then?" he asked, setting the empty beer bottles into the recycle bin. "I mean, she went to Ikea. Who knows where else she'll stop on the way home." 

With CJ close to tears now, Chris turned and looked at them. "I told her that if she wanted to go away for our ten year anniversary, she wouldn't go crazy with the card." 

"Nice," Jim nodded. "Considering the fact that you'll probably need the credit card to put said anniversary vacation on it." 

...................

Melanie sighed happily as she placed the vase of fresh cut flowers on the counter, stepping back to admire her work. With everything nearly done, save for the new light fixtures, the kitchen was looking spectacular. There were a few more touches needed, but the project was just about done. 

"Hey." 

She jumped, turning around quickly to find Chris standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Hey," she smiled. 

"Are you coming to bed?" he asked, looking down at his watch. "The kids are all tucked in and asleep.. or close to it." 

"Yeah," Melanie nodded, collecting the trash from the table. "Did you lock up?" 

He nodded, watching as she threw out the plastic from the flowers and the cut up stems. "Everything's locked and the alarm is set," he said, as she made her way over to him. "Are you even tired, after having the day you had? Is your wrist burning from the extreme swiping you did today?" 

"Ha, ha,' Melanie rolled her eyes, as she turned the lights off. "You're such a comedian, Christopher. Truly, I married real comedian." 

"People  _do_ laugh at my jokes," he shrugged, following her upstairs. "The kids think I'm funny." 

Melanie snorted, "The girls think farting is hysterical," she shot back. "Or examining boogers after sneezing them out, are causes of near incidents of pissing their pants." 

Once in the bedroom, Chris shut the door halfway, as Melanie went to freshen up in the bathroom. "You wound me, Mel," he shook his head, as he moved Elsa out of the way. "Come on, El. Why are you even in here? You're Olivia's cat." 

The kitten meowed, as Chris moved her off the pillow. "Don't meow at me," Chris mumbled, as he climbed into bed. "Go harass Olivia and bite her toes." 

"Don't be a jerk," Melanie said, as she came out. "He bites your toes, because you move around too much." 

Once Melanie was in bed and under the blankets, Elsa made her way up between them and settled down on the top of Melanie's pillow. "Unbelievable," Chris muttered, as he turned the bedside lamp off. "I like how we end up with all the cats in here, while the three of them end up with a good nights sleep." 

"Oh god, please stop complaining, "Melanie groaned, as she rolled onto her side. "Aren't  _you_ tired from a day of labor?" 

"Yes," Chris yawned. "And I have more work tomorrow that needs to be done, especially if we're going to be putting everything back into the cabinets and all the food back into the pantry. 

Melanie tugged at the sheets, "Sophie wants to go with us when we go food shopping," she said. "And since Charlotte and Julie are going to be helping Joanna with the flower garden tomorrow, I'll drop CJ off so he can play with Leah and Noah. We could take Sophie and Liv with us since Charlotte went out with you on Friday." 

He groaned, "Whatever you want to do," he yawned. "Just keep that cat on your side of the bed. Otherwise, he'll be sleeping outside." 

 


	10. Chapter 10

Taking the box of pasta from Sophia, Chris set it on the shelf and nodded. "What do you think, Soph?" he asked, as she stood next to him. "Think we have enough food in here?" 

She shook her head, making him laugh as he picked her up. "Well, this will have to do for now," he said, as they stepped out of the food pantry. "We'll go shopping before you head back to school to get your snacks." 

At the table, Charlotte stood on one of the chairs, watching as Melanie stirred the batter for cupcakes. "Will the new oven make the cuppycakes better?" she asked, as Melanie set the spoon down to fix the tray. 

"Maybe," Melanie shrugged. "Guess we'll have to try and see, okay? Hopefully Daddy's expensive stove is the best, otherwise we'll have to punish him." 

"Because it was me that made the stove," Chris snorted, as Charlotte nodded. 

"Daddy has to eat allllll the cuppycakes if they're icky," she said, as he set Sophia down on another chair. "With no frosting or sprinkles!" 

He came over to her, "All of them?" he asked, as she nodded. "That's not fair! What if I get a tummyache?" 

Charlotte shrieked as he started tickling her, picking her up off the chair. "Dadddddyyy!!!!" she cried, as he held her. "Put me down! I have to help Mommy with the cuppycakes!" 

He set her back onto the chair, "Good," he huffed, wiping the invisible sweat off his forehead. "You're getting too heavy anyways." 

"Kitty we eats now," Olivia said, as she rushed into the kitchen; the kittens and Callie right behind her. "Daddy, my kitties eat now. Please help me feed my kitties."

"After we feed them, we better start picking out something for dinner," he said, carrying the little bowls over to the counter. "I have to get more gas for the grill outside, since we've used the thing too much. So, if you want something in the oven, you guys need to pick something out." 

Carrying a tray over to said oven, Melanie placed it on the top shelf, before closing the door. "How about those chicken tenders and kale?" she suggested. "I can put that in a pan and sauté it." 

Charlotte frowned, "Do you know how to makes chicken, Mommy?" she asked, unsure if she could trust her. "Last time you made it, it was black and we had to throw it away." 

"Charlie," Chris warned, trying his best not to laugh. "We'll have chicken and kale for dinner, okay? And I'll make mashed potatoes for you three." 

"Tatoes!" Sophia squealed, as she licked the spoon clean of cupcake batter. 

Once the bowls of cat food were on the floor, two cats to each bowl, Chris washed his and Olivia's hands in the sink. "Go on and watch some cartoons," he said, sending them off with their water bottles. "And don't make the television too loud, alright? Your brother is upstairs taking a nap."

"My kids don't trust me to feed them," Melanie pouted, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm useless." 

"Stop," he shook his head, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You were home alone with four kids and trying to keep the twins from killing one another. That, along with too much olive oil and having the burner on too high, burned the chicken." 

She still pouted, "I'll show you a few tricks and I'll even let you hold fork," he promised. "After tonight, you'll be able to make enough chicken and kale for the rest of your life." 

Melanie wrapped her arms around his neck, "What do I get if I succeed in not ruining dinner tonight?" she asked playfully. 

"Hmmmm," Chris sighed. "I would offer a drawn bath with extra bubbles.. but our bathtub is a bit too small for that to happen again." 

"One time in there was enough," Melanie nodded. "There's always the shower?" 

"Yeah?" 

She nodded, "You. Me. Soapy loofahs and wandering hands," Melanie purred, nuzzling his neck with her nose. "Or, we could be boring and end up in bed. Missionary and asleep after fifteen minutes." 

Chris tickled her, making her squeal. "Shower it is," he nodded. "We can be boring and do the missionary position tomorrow morning." 

............................

"I love this kitchen," Charlotte sighed, as she slouched in the chair. "You did a nice job, Daddy."

It was only eight-thirty in the morning and Charlotte was way too cheerful; her usual demeanor of grunting and groaning, as she dragged herself downstairs at to the table, was absent. Chris, who was both sore and tired, stood at the stove with a spatula in hand. 

"Oh yeah?" he asked, before breaking into a long and drawn out yawn. 

"Yes!" Charlotte nodded, her feet wiggling. "I can't wait to put the rest of the decorations up! And my painting!" 

Lowering the heat on the burner, Chris picked up the frying pan and brought it over to the new counter across from the stove. "Well, Mommy might put everything up later today or tomorrow," he said, putting some scrambled eggs onto a plate. 

Sitting up, Charlotte picked up the fork and licked her lips, as the plate was placed before her. "What are we doing today?" she asked, as Chris went back to the counter. "Are we going out to the stores?" 

"We'll have to see what Mommy wants to do," he said, cracking more eggs. "Once she wakes up, we'll see how she's feeling, okay?" 

"Mommy must've been really sick last nigh," Charlotte said, as she ate. "She was making a lot of noises last night." 

Chris paused and turned to look at her, "Did she have a tummyache, Daddy?" Charlotte asked, looking over at him; concern flashing across her face. "Uncle Jim says that when you have a tummyache, you have to poop a lot and that always helps." 

"Um..." 

She continued, "And if that doesn't help, you have to give them the pink medicine," she nodded. "I don't like the pink stuff and pooping is gross."

"We were watching a movie," Chris said quickly, not wanting to go into specifics with her. If he told her that Melanie wasn't feeling good, Charlotte would panic and rush upstairs to check on her mother; who was currently naked under the heavy comforter and out cold. "And it was one of those action movies. You know.. the ones where they do karate and make a lot of noise when they run around." 

Charlotte rolled her eyes, "Those movies aren't fun, Daddy," she shook her head. "And Mommy doesn't like those kinds of movies! She only likes Thor and Captain America." 

"Charlotte, just eat your breakfast," Chris begged, turning back to the bowl in front of him. "Otherwise, you won't go to the mall to get clothes for school." 

"Daddy!" Charlotte cried in outrage. "I needs new clothes for school!" 

He dumped the eggs into the pan, "Then sit quietly and eat your breakfast," he said, as the pan sizzled. "Don't make me tell you again." 

She huffed, her fork scraping along the plate, as she scooped up each forkful of her scrambled eggs. At the stove, Chris closed his eyes and sighed deeply, wishing he was still upstairs and asleep like his wife. 

"I smells food, Pia!" he heard, as the twins rushed through the living room. "Daddy makes breakfast for us!" 

The girls rushed over to the table, scrambling up into their seats, waiting as patiently as they could for their food. "Mmmmm," Sophia licked her lips, inhaling the smell of cooking eggs. "Scwamble eggs." 

"If you two want juice, there's juice boxes in the fridge," Chris said, as he cooked. "Or you can wait a few minutes for orange juice." 

"We wait," Olivia said, as she pulled the napkins out of the holder. "We wait for you." 

Chris nodded, "Good girl," he said, as the eggs sizzled. "After this, I'll go get Mommy and your brother so they can eat. Then, after we clean up, we'll figure out what to do for the day." 

"Kay," all three of them chimed, as they sat at the table. 

........................

They ended up staying in for most of the day, making a quick run up to Target to get supplies to make s'mores outside. With CJ and Melanie inside the house with the air conditioner on full blast, Chris stayed outside with the girls. 

"Easy," he yelled out, as Sophia tried to push Charlotte away from the lone soccer ball. "Sophia, don't push!" 

"She try to take my ball!" she cried, as Charlotte succeeded in kicking the ball away from Sophia. "CHARWEEEE! IT'S MY BALL!" 

The elder girl screeched as she took off running, Sophia chasing after her, while Olivia went to sit on the back steps with Chris. "They be bad, Daddy," she shook her head, as he handed her a cold water bottle. "Bad, bad, bad." 

He nodded in agreement, "I agree, Olivia," he said. "They're bad." 

"Can I go in house?" she asked, looking up at him. "I want a bath." 

"Go on," Chris said, as she stood up. "Tell Mommy you want to take a bath, okay? Later, I'll start dinner and then if everyone's up to it, we'll come back out and make s'mores." 

There was a shrill scream, followed by a cry, that startled them both. Getting up quickly, Chris ran to the side of the house and found Sophia on the ground. Charlotte stood by the gate, shocked, as Chris made his way over to Sophia. 

"What happened?" he asked, as Sophia wailed. 

"She fell, Daddy!" Charlotte exclaimed. "She tripped on the tree branch and fell down!"

Sophia clutched her knee, scraped and bloody, as she cried. "Alright, alright," Chris said, as he picked her up. "I think it's time to go inside." 

Olivia gasped, "Pia!" she cried, having followed her father. "What you do to my Pia?" 

"Charwee no hurt me," Sophia hiccuped, as they started for the house. "I fall down." 

"I didn't do anything, Liv!" Charlotte insisted, as the girl smacked her arm. "OW! Don't hit me!" 

Chris stopped and turned around, "The two of you! Inside, now!" he yelled. "I want you both upstairs, ready for your baths!" 

Olivia scowled at Charlotte, stomping away from them as she made her way back to the house. "Be honest with me, Charlie," Chris nearly begged. "Did you push your sister?" 

"No!" Charlotte shook her head. "I'm being honest, Daddy! She tripped over the tree branch and fell down!" 

"No push," Sophia sniffled. "I fall down 'lone." 

He sighed, "Okay," he gave in. "Thank you, Charlie. For being honest and telling the truth." 

She nodded, "Can you get Mommy?" he asked her, as they started up the back steps. "Tell her that I want you two in the bathtub, while I clean up Sophie's knee."   
  
"Okay," she nodded, as he pushed the screen door open. "MOMMMMMYYYYYYY!!!!!" 

Closing the door behind him, Chris shifted Sophia in his arms and sighed. "Let's get you cleaned up and we'll lay down for a while," he said, as Sophia cried silently. "I'll have to clean the yard tomorrow morning, before we invite everyone over for dinner." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking one more chapter for this story.
> 
> I have a few one-shots and other multi-chapter stories in the works for this verse.. but I also have two other stories I need to complete soon and a bunch of other stories I haven't been updating (whihc need to be updated)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the final chapter of this story! 
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting! Love your feedback!

**One Month Later**

 

Chris set the last dish into the dishwasher, before dropping a soap packet into the compartment. Closing the door, he turned the machine on for a a quick cycle, before wiping his hands off on a dish towel. 

"Daddy." 

He turned around, "Hey, Liv," he greeted the girl, as she shuffled into the kitchen. "You want a snack?" 

She nodded, yawning widely, as she made her way over to him. "I wants chips," she said, wrapping her arm around his leg. "Please? " 

"You can have some chips," he said, ruffling her hair. "How about you and me watch some television in the bedroom down here?" 

"Kay," she agreed, moving back so that he could get the snacks from the food pantry. 

With the first month of school coming to an end, the girl was exhausted at the new schedule she was put on. Up early in the morning and off to school for four and a half hours, Olivia was grumpy and sad all at once. 

Grabbing the chips and two water bottles, Chris led her down the hall to the guest room, taking the remote off the dresser. Olivia climbed up onto the bed and crawled over to the left side, while Chris sat down next to her. 

"What do you want to watch?" he asked, as she laid back against the pillows. "It's a quater to three. Not much on right now that you'd like, huh?" 

"Food TV." 

Turning the television on and settling on the Food Network, Chris opened the bag of chips and settled it between them. A half an hour later, Melanie found them lounging on the bed in the dark, the bag half empty and the water bottles empty. 

"What is going on in here?" she asked, stepping into the room. "Are we hiding from Sophie?" 

"Shhhh," Chris whispered, nodding to Olivia. "She fell asleep not ten minutes after I put the television on." 

Melanie stood by the bed and peered over, "Oh boy," she shook her head. "Thank god it's Friday." 

Moving the back of chips out of the way , Chris pulled hte blanket out from under Olivia and covered her. Turning the television off, he slowly got up and collected the garbage. 

"Let her sleep for a bit," he said, as they quietly tip toed out of the room. "She's been up since seven and dinner's not going to be ready for a while. We still have to wait for everyone to come over anyways." 

In the living room, Sophia was in the middle of laughing madly at one of her monstrosities of a cartoon show. "Where's CJ?" he asked, as they went into the kitchen. 

"Babbling to himself on the floor, playing with his toys," Melanie said, stretching her arms up and over her head. "I have to get Charlie from school. She stayed after with Julie for some science thing that their teacher is in charge of. I figured I'd take them to get some movies from the library and ice cream for tonight." 

"Is Julie staying over this weekend?" he asked. "Or is that next weekend?" 

Melanie nodded, "This weekend," she confirmed. "Hikaru and Louisa are coming tonight for dinner, but they're going to leave a bit early so they can finish packing. They want to get on the road by six-thirty tomorrow morning and make it up to the lake by nine." 

He nodded, "I'll clean up outside and open up the umbrella," he said, moving to the sliding door. "Find out who's definetly coming tonight, that way I know how much food I need to put on the grill." 

"I will," Melanie promised, grabbing her phone and keys. "I'll call Nyota while I wait for the girls to come out. Let me know if you need anything from the store and I'll get it." 

"Sounds good," said Chris, as he stepped outside. 

Melanie made her way through the living room, pausing to clean up the little mess that Sophia made with food wrappers and empty juice boxes. "Please throw this out," she said, as Sophia yawned. "And when Daddy comes back in, tell him that you need a new shirt." 

The little girl nodded, "You go out?" she asked, as Melanie checked on CJ. "Can you gets movie for Pia and O'Ivvie?" 

"I will see what they have, okay?" Melanie said, as she moved to the front door. "Clean up your mess, Sophia. If I come home and it's still sitting there, you'll be helping me clean the house this weekend." 

As she opened the front door, Melanie heard Sophia grumbling as she collected the trash off the coffee table and sofa. "Kids," Melanie shook her head, as she stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her. 

.............................

Buy six, the kitchen was filled with noise and the patio with minor roughhousing and chatter. A little chilly outside, Melanie, Louisa and Nyota had the kids inside for dinner, while the boys prepared the food outside. 

"Why can't we go outside to eat?" Charlotte pouted. "Mommy, you can't leave all of us in here alone! Sophie and Monty make messes with their food!" 

Melanie sighed, "If I let you guys eat outside, you need to wear sweatshirts," she said. "I don't want you guys getting sick, especially with school back in session already." 

Nyota nodded, "I have a jacket for Amanda in my bag," she said. "And besides, once the temperature goes below seventy-five, Spock has her dressed for winter." 

"Mel, are the kids eating in there or no?" Chris asked, as he stood by the screen of the sliding door. "We're trying to re-arrange the table here." 

"They're going to eat outside," she nodded. "I have to find sweatshirts for CJ, Noah, Leah and Vivian though. I don't want them out there without something to keep them warm." 

Chris nodded and turned around, handing the spatula to someone. "Just.. watch the food," he said. "I have to help Mel with the kids for a bit." 

Pulling the screen door open, he stepped inside. "I think the outdoor blankets are in the closet," he said. "And all those old sweatshirts from Sophie and Liv's room are still on the shelf in their closet. Monty doesn't mind if he wears something with a princess on it. Right, Monty?" 

"I no minds," he said, as Olivia giggled. "O'Ivvie wears princess too!" 

"Come upstairs and pick one out," Chris said. "Girls? Come upstairs to get something to wear for outside." 

The sound of multiple chairs being pushed back, along with stomping feet, made Melanie giggle. A gaggle of kids- four girls and one boy- rushed after Chris, who carried CJ in his arms. "My god," Louisa shook her head. "You two are in for a weekend of pure insanity." 

"Ah, it's like that everyday," Melanie waved her hand. "Thank god the kitchen is done though. Could you imagine having all the kids, with no oven and everything laying all over the place? I would need a stock pile of wine, waiting for me at the end of the day, once they're all in bed." 

...............

Waving as the last car pulled away from the front of the house, Melanie stepped back inside and closed the door behind her, locking up and turning the lights off. With the kitchen semi-cleaned, sleeping children tucked upstairs, and five cats roaming around the house; Melanie was ready for bed. 

Making her way upstairs, she checked on the kids, making sure they were all asleep; tucking an exposed leg and arm, here and there. Stepping into the bedroom, she changed and brushed her teeth, before climbing into bed. Grabbing the brush off the nightstand, Meanie pulled the hair tie out and started brushing her hair. 

"Already in bed?" Chris asked, as he stepped into the room. "I figured you'd be in the kitchen, pouring a glass of wine for yourself." 

"I'm saving that bottle for Monday," she sighed, as he changed for bed. "And you make it sound like I drink too much of it." 

He stepped into the bathroom, turning the faucet on to brush his teeth. "I know you don't," he said, as he got his toothbrush ready. "But it makes you a giddy and relaxed sometimes." 

Weaving her hair into a braid, Melanie set the brush back onto the night stand, and settled down under the blankets and against the pillows. Chris joined her a few minutes later, clicking off the bedside lamp, before setting down next to her. 

"I have to get a new floodlight for the side of the house tomorrow," he yawned. "Thing blew out when I was taking the trash out." 

"Great," Melanie mumbled. "How long do you plan on leaving me home with these kids tomorrow?" 

He snorted, "I'll see if Sophie wants to come with me," he promised. "She likes the hardware store and looking at all the light fixtures." 

Melanie sighed, "Just don't come home with anything that needs to be installed," she yawned. "We've done enough housework to last us another eight or so years." 

"But I was thinking about redoing the basement this fall," Chris said, earning a swift kick to the shin. "Ouch!" 

"Nothing else is being touched," Melanie nearly growled. "Wait until spring if you want to repaint things." 

Chris sighed, rolling onto his stomach. "How about we repaint this room?" he suggested. "In the spring that is. Maybe that royal blue color you wanted to bad, when we first moved in." 

Melanie shifted under the blanket, "Chris, I'm too  _tired_ to make any agreements with you about doing work in the spring," she said. "Just worry about getting a new flood light for outside an that's it. Don't' come home with paint swatches or anything for new windows, roofing or whatever else you can take apart and replace." 

"But..." 

"And you don't have time to do anymore work like that," she said. "Especially since you took on an extra class on Fridays." 

He grumbled, "Crushing my dreams," he muttered, tugging on the sheets. 

Melanie kicked him again, "Shut up," she whined. "Otherwise I'll crush more than your handyman dreams. And yes.. I'm talking about your balls, Christopher. Stop tugging on the goddamn sheets!" 

"Then stop hogging them!" he tugged again, before releasing them as she pinched him. "Dammit, Mellie! Stop kicking and pinching me!" 

"In two seconds, I'm going to kick you off this bed," Melanie warned. "And you can sleep in the bedroom downstairs." 

He huffed, "You're a pain in the ass," he muttered, as he let go of the blankets. "Jesus Christ." 

Melanie rolled her eyes and rolled over, her back facing him. "Goodnight," she huffed, pulling the blankets up to her shoulder. 

"Goodnight," he sighed, resting his hand against his stomach, while his arm was thrown up and over his head. 

Silence fell between them, only lasting for a few minutes, despite it feeling like an hour had gone by. The sound of the heater hissing and other sounds that went bump in the night, filled the atmosphere, as they both laid there in bed. Then, Chris had to ruin it by opening his big mouth.

"How about a dog?" 

"GO TO BED, CHRISTOPHER!" 


End file.
